Friday, January 26, 2007

Man arrested after police car chase
ARCADE - A 39-year-old Jefferson man who led police on a high-speed chase is behind bars and charged with stealing one car, but police suspect him in at least two other thefts.

$15,000 in A-C units taken from work site
Thieves made off with five air conditioners that were being stored in the 100 block of Nacoochee Avenue while the owner of the business they came from, Medical Center of Athens Inc., is undergoing renovations, Athens-Clarke police said.

Two indicted on coke trafficking charges
An Athens man and his girlfriend have been indicted in federal court on charges they trafficked large amounts of cocaine while living at a Westchester Circle town home.

Man seriously hurt in Ga. 316 crash
A 58-year-old Bethlehem man was in an induced coma at Atlanta Medical Center as a result of serious injuries he suffered in a two-car collision Tuesday night in Barrow County, the Athens post of the Georgia State Patrol said Thursday.

Thief takes costly motorcyclist clothing
Someone stole about $2,000 worth of motorcycle gear from a Caldwell Circle home, and the owner suspects a specific person who had access to the house, Athens-Clarke police said.

Man jailed after alleged threat
An Athens man accused his girlfriend of stealing from him before putting a steak knife to her throat and threatening to kill her Wednesday afternoon, Athens-Clarke police said.

Burglar steals goods while owners at home
A thief slipped into a house on Hardin Drive between 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and stole a fully loaded Glock .40-caliber pistol, XBox and PlayStation 3 gaming systems and video games, and a University of Georgia football helmet, altogether valued at $2,850, Athens-Clarke police said.

Owners say laptops stolen on campus
A University of Georgia-owned laptop computer valued at $2,554 was stolen from LeConte Hall between 9:45 and 10:10 a.m. Tuesday, UGA police said.

Cass running back commits for 2008
Richard Samuel, a speedy junior tailback/linebacker for Cass High School in Cartersville, has committed to Georgia for its 2008 recruiting class, his high school coach said Wednesday.

Drop in production raises main question
MOBILE, Ala. - Quentin Moses is used to strapping on a helmet and putting on pads to play in front of 92,000-plus fans at Sanford Stadium. Stripping down to his skivvies in a convention center ballroom for the Senior Bowl weigh-in earlier this week is another story.

Alcohol retailers divided
Ahmed Amirali would lose out, not only on sales at his Danielsville Road liquor store, but on time with his children, if a proposed law passes to allow retailers to sell beer and wine on Sundays.

England elected Rural Caucus chair
State Rep. Terry England, R-Auburn, Wednesday was elected chairman of the bipartisan Rural Caucus, which will study issues of interest to the sparsely populated areas of Georgia.

Resolution honors Confederate leader
ATLANTA - With little fanfare or controversy, the House proclaimed 2007 as the "Year of Lee" in honor of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Tyler Brantley: Newspaper's coverage of Carter had wrong focus
I was shocked at the front page story in Saturday's Athens Banner-Herald carrying the headline "Cheney hit hard at kickoff." The story, covering the opening day of a three-day conference at the University of Georgia on the presidency of Jimmy Carter, recounted remarks by Carter's vice president, Walter Mondale, criticizing sitting Vice President Dick Cheney.

John Carl Reynolds: Two recent letters showed effective, reasoned thought
Two letters on the Athens Banner-Herald's Jan. 17 editorial page - "'Lift Every Voice' isn't national anthem," from Dr. Walter Allen Sr. and "Carter book shouldn't be touted at UGA conference," from Rabbi Ronald Gerson - were like a breath of fresh air and a ray of sunlight breaking through dark clouds.

Alan Johnson: Minutemen simply want immigration law enforced
The Jan. 19 letter to the editor, "Northeast Georgia doesn't need Minuteman Corps," denouncing the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps as an anti-Latino, vigilante hit squad recruiting its racist, violence-prone Brown Shirts at gun shows, is an almost humorous misrepresentation of the facts. While society does contain persons harboring those sentiments and worse, they are not among the ranks of the Minutemen.

Mary Andrews: Mondale's comments on Cheney appropriate
Paul Boatwright (Letters, "Carter conference got off the subject early," Jan. 23) got it wrong when he claimed former Vice President Walter Mondale got off track in suggesting sitting Vice President Dick Cheney had overstepped the bounds of that office.

Whit Lester: Carter shouldn't criticize the Bush administration
For four consecutive days, the Athens Banner-Herald's front page included coverage of the Jan. 19-21 University of Georgia-hosted conference on the Jimmy Carter presidency. For members of the younger generation who do not remember that time, please print the rest of the story. Those of us who were in business during those years remember well the runaway inflation and exorbitant interest rates. Prices of goods were rising weekly and interest rates hit an all-time high.

J. Paul Clark: Carter and the far left are deluded on Islam
The recent University of Georgia-hosted conference attended by former President Carter and his entourage of far-left cohorts was splashed on the front page of the Athens Banner-Herald for three days. Carter was, figuratively and factually, the worst president since Herbert Hoover. During his tenure, interest rates were at 21 percent, inflation was at 19 percent, and a gallon of gas in 1979 was the equivalent of $5.50 a gallon today. The shah of Iran was deposed and the Middle East was completely destabilized via Islamic extremists.

Gordon Lee Stelter: Carter was man of 'peace, wisdom and foresight'
It's evident that, for some to consider a president a great leader, he must pit our children and treasure in bloody, unnecessary conflict. For these people, Jimmy Carter - a truly Christian man of peace, wisdom and foresight, who created the Camp David Accords and saw the strategic, political and economic necessity of an energy-independent America - will always be a wimp.

Gary Richie: Vote against Gators was hateful grudge
When the current Palestinian-Israeli turmoil flared up about six years ago, one historian said there cannot be a lasting peace in the Middle East "because those with their finger on the hate button are in control."

Pettis: What is a hybrid plant anyway?
If you are looking for a plant such as a red maple, should you buy a seedling or a named variety? What is a hybrid plant? What is a clonal plant? What is a cultivar? I get asked these questions quite often in my role as a consultant when I am researching landscape plants for homes. Botanical and horticultural terms can get quite confusing so let's try and clear the terminology up.

Apple's rules restricting iTunes music to iPods
The Dutch consumer protection agency became the latest in Europe on Thursday to pressure Apple Inc. into changing restrictions that tie songs bought on iTunes to its market-leading iPod players.

London Fashion Week says it will not ban ultra-thin models
APTION:Model Natalia Vodianova walks the runway during the Calvin Klein spring 2007 collection fashion show in New York in September. The Council of Fashion Designers of America released a list of recommendations, three weeks before the fall fashion showcase in New York, as part of a new health initiative to help models be healthy.

Agent Answers
I am looking into termite control for my house. Would you recommend repellent or non-repellent baits and why?

Cottingham: Wild ginger hides sculptural blooms on the forest floor
Wild ginger is a subtle plant, with each plant bearing two small heart-shaped leaves that rise from the ground and disappear with cold weather. Leaves may also disappear when the plant is stressed by too much heat and too little moisture. But it is worth getting up close and personal with this native groundcover, especially in spring, when people get down on the ground and search under the leaves for the "little brown jugs." The flower buds do look like little brown jugs, reddish-brown in color and swollen into a jug shape. The blooms open up without petals, a sculptural sight saved for those who poke around among the leaves for the blooms hiding below and for the crawling bugs that pollinate the flowers.

A good year to adopt a pet
The Athens Area Humane Society got 2007 off to a good start, announcing the organization found homes for more pets in 2006 than any other year, with 393 cats and small animals adopted, an 18 percent bump from 2005.

Death penalty a waste of time for drug kingpin
A judge at the federal murder conspiracy trial of a crack kingpin with ties to the rap music industry warned prosecutors that pursuing a death sentence would be a waste of time and money.

Donald-Rosie O'Donnell battle is for publicity
PARIS - Donald Trump's ex-wife Ivana has weighed in on the feud between the billionaire developer and TV co-host Rosie O'Donnell, accusing them of milking their war of words for publicity value.

Today in history
Today is Friday, Jan. 26, the 26th day of 2007. There are 339 days left in the year.

Gossip scribe not charged with extortion
NEW YORK - A former contributor to the New York Post's Page Six gossip column said he was thankful he wouldn't be charged with trying to shake down a billionaire in exchange for good press, but the sensational case has left his life in tatters.

Minuscule and massive
To look at artist Nina Bovasso's paintings, you'd imagine her as the little girl who had the big box of crayons, the names of all 64 colors catalogued and memorized, the warms and cools arranged in a gradient array.

Today in history
Today is Thursday, Jan. 25, the 25th day of 2007. There are 340 days left in the year.

Heady stuff
Influenced by The Velvet Underground, Gram Parsons, The Stooges and MC5, the Lemonheads formed at Boston's tiny Commonwealth School in 1986. They have endured numerous lineup changes, near-death experiences and have returned scarred - but smarter - to release their first album in nearly a decade.

248 years young
It's that time of year again when we chalk up another birthday for ye olde Scottish bard Robert Burns. He'd be 248 today, and to celebrate, Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars, Athens' favorite Burns revival band, is celebrating tonight with the 5th annual Burns Night at the Melting Point in Athens. Doors open at 6, show starts at 8:30 and tickets are $7. On Saturday, the band will join the Thistle and Kudzu Scottish Society of Athens and the UGA English Department for a Burns night supper at Flinchum's Phoenix Lodge. Visit www.thistle andkudzu.net or e-mail info@thistleandkudzu.net for details, or visit www.jollybeggars.net.

The Week That Was
1948: The first Emmy Awards were given for excellence in television. The first Emmy winner was Shirley Dinsdale and her puppet, Judy Splinters, for Most Outstanding Personality.

Sharks live
For one, that Athens band We Versus the Shark was invited - two years in a row - to perform as part of Athens Popfest is testament to the vivacity of the band's live shows and the appeal of its music. Because if there's anything We Versus the Shark's music is not, it's pop.

Phillips: Awakened state
Do you ever feel so busy, overstimulated and overloaded that typing complete sentences seems too time-consuming, eating a meal is a chore and sleep alludes you because your brain won't stop running over and over all the things you haven't finished?

Precious metal
Since their inception in 2000, Mastodon has not been afraid to stampede, and the wake of trampled listeners is, undoubtedly, eternally grateful.

Fuzzy fields forever
Members of the Fuzzy Sprouts return to the Georgia Theatre stage Saturday to pay tribute to The Beatles again as Abbey Road Live. Completing the lineup are the "Magical Mystery Horns," brass and woodwinds players who make "Strawberry Fields Forever, "All You Need Is Love" and "Penny Lane" sound sweet indeed. Member Michael Wegner says "an even bigger show (is) planned for this spring: a live performance of the 'Sgt. Pepper' album, in honor of its 40th anniversary," which will feature an 11-piece band with sitar, cello, violins and more. And in May, the band has been invited back to headline Abbey Road on the River in Louisville, Ky., billed as "the greatest Beatles tribute festival in the world." Saturday's show starts at 10 p.m. and tickets are $10 at the door.

History repeats (again)
Although Molire's social satire "Tartuffe" was written more than 300 years ago, its subject matter seems ripped from the latest headlines.

Help Darius
There's one last chance for Athens to see "Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life" at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6 at the Tate Center theater. Tickets are $5, with proceeds going toward a fund to find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the disease that took the life of Darius' older brother and eventually will take his.

'Notes on a Scandal' a delicious battle of wills
'Notes on a Scandal" doesn't skimp on the lurid details. A beautiful, blond English schoolteacher is consumed by a horribly inappropriate affair. An older, bitter teacher finds out, then uses that secret to blackmail her - not for money, but for something even more precious.

Plenty to shout about
If this keeps up, Georgia coach Dennis Felton will need a pacemaker when the season's over.

Vanderbilt upsets third straight ranked foe
BATON ROUGE, La. - Derrick Byars scored 18 points and Shan Foster added a pair of baskets in the final minutes to give Vanderbilt its third straight victory over a ranked team with a 64-53 triumph over No. 21 LSU on Wednesday night.

Duke wins a wild one
DURHAM, N.C. - David McClure has earned his minutes by grabbing rebounds, getting steals and bringing energy off the bench while his Duke teammates grab most of the headlines.

Johnston: Dogs prove something to themselves
Maybe now, Dennis Felton can stop trying to convince his players they're good enough to compete in the SEC. Besides, his voice was washed out after Georgia's victory was complete.

Baghdad scene of street battle
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi troops battled Sunni insurgents hiding in high-rise buildings on Haifa Street in the heart of Baghdad Wednesday, with snipers on roofs taking aim at gunmen in open windows as Apache attack helicopters hovered overhead.

Police say suspect led them to body
An Arnoldsville man charged with aggravated assault in the death of an Oglethorpe County man told investigators where to look for the body, Madison County authorities have confirmed.

GOP tax breaks hold up wage hike
WASHINGTON - Democrats' promise of a quick increase in the minimum wage ran aground Wednesday in the Senate, where lawmakers are insisting it include new tax breaks for restaurants and other businesses that rely on low-pay workers.

Perdue denies threat of veto; just 'having fun'
ATLANTA - Gov. Sonny Perdue said Thursday he was just "having fun" - not threatening a veto - when he told an Atlanta radio station last week that a bill that would pave the way for the Sunday sales of beer and wine would have a tough time getting his signature.

Teen treated in rare bobcat attack
A rabid bobcat attacked a Madison County teen while he and a friend were duck hunting in northeastern Clarke County last week, health officials confirmed Thursday.

EPD OKs fishing plan for Bear Creek
The state Environmental Protection Division has signed off on a plan to open up the Bear Creek reservoir to boat fishing, members of the authority that governs the four-county water supply reservoir learned Wednesday.

Suspect jailed in '64 slayings
JACKSON, Miss. - A reputed Ku Klux Klansman and former sheriff's deputy pleaded not guilty Thursday to kidnapping charges in the deaths of two black hitchhikers, four decades after their decomposed remains were found in the Mississippi River.

Ex-dictator's release set for September
MIAMI - Former dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega hopes to immediately board a plane for Panama when he is released from prison on Sept. 9, and he plans to fight his conviction back home in the slayings of two political opponents, his attorney said.

Is Athens open for business?
Despite Athens' reputation as being an unfriendly place to do business, most Athens entrepreneurs say they've had a positive experience here.

DA's bid to take over police probe rejected by state
The state attorney general shot down District Attorney Tim Madison's bid to take over a police corruption investigation a year and a half after the local prosecutor recused himself because of a conflict of interest.

Big needs as budget talks start
A new jail. Rising crime among juveniles and the homeless. A courthouse space crunch. A rapidly filling landfill. Dirty streams. A growing need for public transportation.

Excessive spending could force job cuts
The Greene County School System is trying to sort out a budget deficit of nearly $800,000, and some employees of the east Georgia district may lose their jobs as the district tries to balance its finances.

Resource management
Pollution trading could become part of a new statewide water management plan, but several environmental advocates said at a town hall meeting Wednesday night that they don't like the idea.

Libby's statements contradicted in court
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney's spokeswoman testified Thursday she told I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby that a prominent war critic's wife was a CIA employee earlier than Libby has said he first learned it from a reporter.

Gun graffiti stumps university police
Stenciled paintings of red and blue guns are cropping up on walls and sidewalks on the University of Georgia campus, but the images probably aren't as ominous as they may seem.

Senate panel rejects troop increase
WASHINGTON - In a calculated snub of President Bush, the Democratic-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee dismissed plans for a troop buildup in Iraq on Wednesday as "not in the national interest" of the United States.

Drama to kick off Black History Month
The University of Georgia will launch its Black History Month events with a performance of the drama "Peaches" by Progress Theatre at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Morton Theatre, 195 W. Washington St.

Deadly blast follows Iraqi leader's vow of crackdown
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's prime minister insisted Thursday there will be "no safe place in Iraq for terrorists," hours before a suicide car bombing killed at least 26 people in the Shiite neighborhood of Karradah and two rockets slammed into the heavy fortified Green Zone not far from the U.S. Embassy.

Emanuel: Americans disconnecting terror war, Iraq, national security
A theme of the Bush administration's ongoing defense of continued action in Iraq is that success there is vital to America's national security. As time goes by, though, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 become an ever more distant memory to many Americans. That, combined with the fact the country hasn't been hit since that day, has meant national security and the corresponding War on Terror don't resonate with the American people as they did.

Quotables
"The president demonstrated he has not listened to Americans' single greatest concern: the war in Iraq. The overwhelming majority of Americans, military leaders, and a bipartisan coalition in Congress oppose the President's plan to escalate the war. ... While the president continues to ignore the will of the country, Congress will not ignore this president's failed policy."

Quotables
"Under these circumstances, there is no doubt in my mind that the president cannot continue to fulfill his position and he must leave the president's residence."

State lawmakers need to take up new ethics filing
An ethics complaint filed Wednesday against state Rep. Larry O'Neal, R-Warner Robins, will show the people of Georgia just how serious a joint committee of the state legislature is about policing lawmakers' conduct.

Hangin' with: Cedar Shoals' ReaRea Byrd
Aureathia Byrd, or ReaRea, has changed her form. From a cheerleader in seventh grade to a senior, power forward at Cedar Shoals, Byrd said she can't believe she was a cheerleader now that basketball is her life. Byrd averages about 10 points and five rebounds a game, but coach Mahogany Hudson said that her leadership on and off the court is her most important addition to the Lady Jaguars (11-8, 4-1 in Region 8-AAAA South).Byrd may hide her cheerleading roots from her teammates, but she still goes back to it as a volunteer at East Athens Community Center. She would help with basketball, but she's too busy playing herself.

Dogs' softball at No. 14 in poll
Georgia will enter the season No. 14 in the country, according to the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Preseason Poll released on Wednesday.

Gonzalez a grand surprise in semis
MELBOURNE, Australia - Rafael Nadal limped out of the Australian Open complaining his leg was too sore to challenge Fernando Gonzalez in the quarterfinals. With Gonzalez stinging winners past him from both the forehand and backhand sides, though, even a fit Nadal might have struggled.

Seventh heaven?
SAN DIEGO - As many times as Tiger Woods has played and won at Torrey Pines, he has never figured out the patchwork shades of blue in the Pacific Ocean below the cliffside course. Looking out from the fourth green Wednesday morning, his New Zealand caddie told him the darker the shade, the colder the water.

Garrett returning to Dallas
IRVING, Texas - The Dallas Cowboys added Jason Garrett to their coaching staff Thursday, and said he would remain a candidate to replace retired head coach Bill Parcells.

Drew, Boston finally reach agreement
BOSTON - The Boston Red Sox and J.D. Drew finally resolved their wrangling over the outfielder's five-year, $70 million contract - more than seven weeks after agreeing to everything except what to do about his surgically repaired right shoulder.

League slowly works toward minority gains
DALLAS - NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, opening a luncheon this week on diversity in hockey, proudly made note of 39 cities offering inner-city programs with the help of the league.

Randolph agrees to new 3-year deal
NEW YORK - The New York Mets and manager Willie Randolph agreed in principle Wednesday to a new three-year contract that runs through 2009.

Show expresses how differences can unite
Being a young adult in America comes with some universal stresses - applying to college, surviving it and planning a career - but the addition of being a minority can be especially challenging, some University of Georgia students say.

Star is starting to shine
Tasha Humphrey didn't shoot hundreds of extra jump shots in an empty Stegeman Coliseum. Instead of sweating over the worst scoring slump of her three-year career, the Georgia forward adjusted her mindset.

Heating up, icing a win
A huge smile that looked like near disbelief lit up Megan Darrah's face after another shot went through the net. Several of her teammates on the Georgia bench stood up to applaud.